Imaging systems such as radar and ladar imaging allow an image of an object to be generated by interrogating the object with electromagnetic or optical signals, respectively. Reflected signals are analyzed relative to the transmitted signals for differences in characteristics between the transmitted and reflected signals. The differences can correspond to features and/or contours associated with the target object. As such, by analyzing the differences, a two- or three-dimensional image can be formed of the target object. Imaging systems can be used for a variety of purposes and in a variety of environments, such as for security applications.
Signal parameters such as amplitude, time-delay, carrier-frequency, and modulation type are known to affect the performance of simple radar systems and advanced radar based imagery systems using synthetic aperture radar (SAR) techniques. In SAR systems, the motion of the platform hosting the radar transmitter is used to synthesize a much larger antenna aperture, consequently resulting in a higher resolution in one dimension than is possible with the smaller physical aperture used in typical radar systems. The characteristics or parameters of radar signals that are reflected from a target object can be employed to provide imagery of the target.